Garden Q&A: My peonies didn't flower this year. Why not?

Whether you're a gardening beginner or expert, Irish Examiner columnist Peter Dowdall has the answer to your questions

QUESTION

My peonies didn't flower at all this year and the leaves are now turning brown around the edges. 

Could it be due to lack of nutrients? 

Everything else around them has flowered.

ANSWER

Firstly, don’t worry about the foliage turning brown now as that is totally natural. 

Peonies are herbaceous plants which simply means that the foliage above ground will die back now for the autumn and winter, re-emerging next year. 

As regards them not flowering, it’s important to know whether these are mature peonies or new plants. 

If they are new, then I think that you will have to embrace every gardener's favourite word, “patience”, as they can take a few years to settle in before they ever start flowering. 

If they are mature and have flowered before but not this year then, it is very possible that they are lacking something like potassium or phosphorous. Regular feeding with good quality tomato food next spring should help to remedy this. 

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